As 7-year-old Anthony Mayberry made his way out to the airfield Saturday morning, an excited grin broke across his face. This was something he had been looking forward to all week, his grandmother said.The boy, whose birthday was Friday, couldn’t wait to get into the single-engine plane and soar through the sky.“I’m excited,” he said. “I got to sit in a plane before, but I didn’t go in the air.”Anthony was one of more than 150 children, ages 7 to 17, who participated in the annual youth flight program at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport. The national program is part of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles Program and encourages youngsters to take an interest in aviation.There were five private planes taking anywhere from one to five children up at a time —depending on the size of the plane — until all had had a chance to fly.The pilots donated their time, expertise and fuel —which doesn’t come cheaply — so the children could fly for free.On the ground, an army of the association’s Greenville chapter worked to get waiting children registered and paired up with a plane.As pilot and event coordinator Wes Westerfield helped Anthony into the white and blue Piper Warrior plane and got him all strapped in, the boy couldn’t help but let a disbelieving “wow” slip from his lips.

Kat Russell / Kentucky New Era

Once the boy and pilot were all strapped in, donning matching green headsets with fuzzy microphones poised in front of their lips, it was go time.As the plane maneuvered toward the runway, the boy pointed to buttons and asked what they were, he listened to the air-traffic talk in his headset and he peered out the window, watching the ground zip by as they readied for takeoff.“You ready?” Westerfield asked.Anthony said he was. In fact he had had a dream he was a pilot the night before, his grandmother said. All he could talk about that morning, she said, was getting to fly.With a growing whir of the engine, the plane lurched forward, slowly at first but steadily gathering speed. Then the plane’s nose tipped upward as it lifted off the ground.“Wow,” Anthony said as the ground fell away.Westerfield asked, “Now is this awesome or is this ridiculously awesome?”The answer was “ridiculously awesome.”Once they had reached the cruising altitude, Anthony got a big surprise.“OK,” Westerfield said, “it’s time for you to fly the plane.”“Me?” Anthony said. “But I can’t reach all the way down there,” he said, gesturing to the pedals on the floor in front of him.Westerfield told him all he had to do was steer as he relinquished control to the 7-year-old.

Kat Russell / Kentucky New Era

While Westerfield explained to the boy how to steer, he pointed out roads that marked their route and he showed Anthony how to communicate with air-traffic control and told him what to say.

Anthony piloted for about five minutes, making turns when told to and communicating with traffic control when necessary.

“This is awesome,” he said into his headset, both hands gripping the steering yoke tightly. “It’s awesome. It’s totally awesome.”

“It’s even more awesome that you get to fly with me,” Westerfield told him. “I love sharing this with people. After all, why get a pilot’s license if you can’t take people flying.”

When it was time to make their descent, Westerfield reclaimed control of the plane and its nose dipped downward and the ground gradually came up to meet them.

After landing, Anthony jumped out of the plane and excitedly told his grandparents “I got to fly the plane.”

After, as they prepared to leave, he said it was the “best birthday present ever.”